Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.
Tanzanian delegation is in Qatar to promote tourism
A delegation from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism (Tanzania) and Ministry of Tourism and Heritage (Zanzibar) is in Qatar as the East African nation says it intends to capitalise on the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 to promote the country as a tourism destination and promote it as an investment-friendly environment.
According to a report by The Peninsula, the delegation said the country’s vast natural environment, conservation areas and pristine beaches are ideal places for tourists and investors in the hospitality sector.
According to the delegation, around 495 Qataris visited Tanzania before the pandemic, but the number dropped to 185 during the pandemic.
“The main target is to reposition ourselves, especially now when Qatar is hosting the World Cup,” Fatma Khamis, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Heritage, told a media roundtable in Doha.
“The whole world will be here, and I think this is a perfect opportunity for us to present our country as a destination for tourists and investment opportunities,” she added. “At the same time, we are looking to forge partnerships with Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways, and Qatar Chamber to promote investments and tourism on both sides.”
Prof Eliamani Sedoyeka, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, said Tanzania would host the Swahili International Tourism Expo (SITE) in Dar es Salaam next month, a platform that will attract tourists from across the world, including Qatar.
“Our target is to ensure that we create a relationship between business people from both countries,” he was quoted as saying. “We also plan to explore physical infrastructure. We have seen how Qatar has developed in the past 10 years, and we feel that if we have a similar plan, investors will be attracted from Qatar to Tanzania.”
Australian-based Black Rock gets special mining license in Tanzania
Australian-based mining company Black Rock Mining has been awarded a special mining license for its Mahenge graphite project in Lindi.
The company said on Wednesday that the special mining license, along with the exemptions granted, was reviewed and approved by the Cabinet.
“The awarding of a new special mining license for the Mahenge graphite project area provides permit coverage for the entire mining operation, and importantly confirms the Tanzanian government’s commitment to seeing the Mahenge graphite project advanced into production,” Mining Weekly quoted Black Rock’s CEO John de Vries as saying.
“This is an important milestone for Black Rock and represents the final key regulatory hurdle, de-risks our financing process and enables commencement of construction,” he added. “The company is now focused on progressing the project development financing process alongside its customer and project execution activities.”
The special mining license covers an area of 35 km2 which has been granted to the Faru Graphite Corporation joint venture (JV), in which Black Rock holds an 84% interest and the Tanzanian government the remaining 16 per cent.
Black Rock is currently working to update the feasibility study estimates for the Mahenge project as part of front-end engineering work being undertaken.
Swissport extends airport ground services and air cargo handling with Air Tanzania
Swissport and Air Tanzania have extended their partnership at the airline’s Dar es Salaam home base for two more years until 2024, a statement released on Wednesday said.
Swissport has been providing airport ground services and air cargo handling to Air Tanzania since early 2020
Air Tanzania has been relying on Swissport for airport ground services at its Dar es Salaam (DAR) home base since 2020. The contract extension will see the successful partnership extended by two years until 2024, according to a press release.
The renewed agreement includes a comprehensive service catalogue for airport ground services, air cargo handling, and aviation security for some 134 flights per week. At DAR, Swissport staff are servicing Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Airbus A220s and Bombardier Q400 aircraft for Air Tanzania, a leading airline in East Africa.
The carrier operates ten domestic and six international destinations. In addition to Dar es Salaam, Swissport is also managing the airline’s hub operations at Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO), Air Tanzania’s second base.
“We are pleased that Air Tanzania has once again chosen Swissport as a partner for a range of mission-critical ground services that have a significant impact on an airline’s on-time performance and reliability,” said the press release quoting Mrisho Yassin, Chief Executive Officer of Swissport Tanzania.
“It underlines that our leading position in the hub and large base handling is recognized across the industry and pays off also at the airport of the Tanzanian metropolis,” he added.
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